Bridal Times had the chance to catch up with “Wedding Award Germany Winner”, Sophie Hetzel of “HELLO LOVELY” bridal boutique in Rheinland-Pfalz, to tell us more about her bridal shop and what she has learned since first opening her doors in 2019.
What has it been like for you and your team to win Best Bridal Boutique at this year’s Wedding Award Germany ?
We were very happy about this incredible award and couldn’t really believe it at first, since so many great colleagues from our industry took part. Of course, we just had to celebrate our win in our small circle.
Tell us about your journey. How did you decide to open your first bridal shop and how long have you been in business?
I opened the “HELLO LOVELY” bridal boutique in October 2019 in the city of Pirmasens in the beautiful Rheinland-Pfalz. It was important for me to create a cool and modern place for future brides and their guests in my home town, where you simply feel comfortable immediately after you enter. After many years of experience in the shoe and fashion industry, I have always dreamed of being self-employed. Since fashion is my absolute passion and I really enjoy getting to know new people, it was obvious to open a bridal boutique for the fashion-conscious and well-informed bride, especially since there was nothing like this in our very rural region. Our customers now drive up to 200 km to come to our boutique for a fitting appointment, which of course makes me very happy and proud.
What would you say are some important elements that make a successful bridal shop?
In addition to an attractive and modern range of wedding dresses, it is above all in my opinion, the feel-good atmosphere and individual advice. With us, there is no advice according to the formula. We respond individually to the wishes and ideas of the individual bride. Furthermore, the purchase of a wedding dress should of course also be an absolute shopping experience for the bride and companions. Starting with a modern interior concept, cool drinks and delicious snacks to good music during the fitting, these are important elements that we pay attention to.
Tell us what the bride-to-be can discover in your bridal shop and what makes “Hello Lovely” so unique?
The HELLO LOVELY bridal boutique is located in a 120 sqm historical villa. Right from the start I decided against a shop in the classic sense because it was important to me to create a cozy and special atmosphere with a harmonious and modern furnishing concept for our brides. We put great importance to the little things and details, so every wedding dress fitting becomes an absolute experience for brides. The bride-to-be will not find off-the-shelf goods. We offer modern and unique wedding dresses with “that certain something” from international labels. We also have a nice selection of cool city hall weding outfits, two-piece suits and bridal accessories. Since 2020, we also have bridal shoes from my own label “HELLO LOVELY Shoes” in the boutique. These are modern bridal shoes far removed from the classic bridal shoe fashion and always with the ulterior motive of being able to wear the shoe after the wedding, whether it be daily business or at other events. The shoes are designed by me in Pirmasens, the former shoe capital of Germany, and made in a small factory in Italy.
What are your brides interested in at the moment? Have you noticed a change in taste, especially over the past few difficult years?
We’re noticing that brides have definitely gotten bolder and the demand for extravagant and lavish wedding dresses is growing. While two years ago the boho and vintage style with coarse lace and flowing, simple skirts dominated our boutique, brides are now looking for something with “more of everything”, we call it boho chic. Large embroideries, 3D flower appliqués and sparkle are increasingly in demand. Likewise, the skirts can be a little “more” again, but they should still be light and comfortable to wear. We personally love this style very much and are happy when the new collections that we buy are accepted by our brides.
Would you tell us your personal favorite trend in bridal fashion?
I really like the clean and modern look. Above all, I am drawn to simple, flowing silk dresses with a low back, of course we also have more of them in our boutique.
What have you learned since starting a bridal shop that you didn’t expect before?
That you can always grow beyond your abilities and learn something new every day. Since no day is like the other when you are self-employed, you always have to adapt to new challenges and tasks. However, I really like it and I love what I do. The pandemic in particular has also shown that you have to keep reinventing yourself and adapting to new situations. During the lockdown, I set up a small online shop within a few days where we were able to sell our city hall wedding outfits and stock items. Brides were able to try on wedding dresses with our “Try On At Home” service and receive advice from us via video chat. This project was very exciting, but it also showed us that nothing beats a personal fitting in the boutique. I am proud of ourselves that we were able to master the pandemic so well as a team, and I hope that we will soon be heading towards normality again.
When you look back, what are you particularly proud of and which special people have accompanied and motivated you on this path?
Above all, I would like to thank my family and my partner, who have supported me from the start on my way to entrepreneurship. Without them, many things simply would not have been possible. The idea of the boutique and its overall concept went by like a flash and after only four months of planning, we celebrated the opening. I am proud that I keep reinventing myself and have the courage to implement lightning ideas directly. That can sometimes go wrong, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned from being self-employed, is that you always have to have the courage and strength to keep going and to be passionate about what you’re doing.
Congratulations to the HELLO LOVELY Team!
For further information in the German language, visit Hello Lovely